Question 1

How does Okta Identity Governance (OIG) differ from Okta's core IDP services?

Accepted Answer

Okta's core identity provider (IDP) services (which also include products from Auth0) are best-in-class for user authentication—managing workforce identity with SSO (single sign-on) and MFA (multi-factor authentication). Okta Identity Governance (OIG) is an add-on module Okta created for identity governance and administration (IGA). The key difference is that OIG is a limited add-on, whereas C1.ai is a complete, purpose-built IGA platform. C1.ai integrates with your IDP (like Okta) and governs access permissions across all your applications (cloud, on-premises, homegrown) with a level of granularity and ease of use that OIG was not designed for. We complement Okta's strong authentication while replacing their governance module.

Question 2

We already use Okta's Lifecycle Management. Isn't Okta Identity Governance just the next step?

Accepted Answer

Okta's Lifecycle Management is great for basic user provisioning and deprovisioning (birthright access), but Okta OIG isn’t necessarily the next step for true governance. C1.ai is a purpose-built, cloud-based solution that provides deep, real-time visibility and control over all user accounts and entitlements.

Question 3

What are the main alternatives to Okta Identity Governance?

Accepted Answer

Organizations looking for full-featured IGA typically evaluate two main categories. First are legacy vendors like SailPoint and Saviynt, which, can be complex and expensive. Second are modern, cloud-based IGA platforms like C1.ai, which are built for agility, fast implementation, and a better user experience for IT teams and security teams.

Question 4

How does C1.ai handle a hybrid Microsoft environment with Active Directory and Azure?

Accepted Answer

C1.ai is built for modern hybrid IT environments. It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft services, including on-premises Active Directory and Azure AD (Entra ID). This allows you to manage the entire identity lifecycle—from user provisioning to deprovisioning—and govern access permissions across both your legacy on-premises applications and your modern SaaS portfolio from a single platform.

Question 5

How does the C1.ai approach to IAM help prevent data breaches and support a zero trust strategy?

Accepted Answer

A core principle of zero trust is to never trust, always verify, and grant least privilege access. Traditional identity and access management (IAM) tools often leave significant vulnerabilities by granting standing privileged access, which is a primary target in data breaches. The C1.ai platform is built to solve this. It secures your most critical apps and workloads by replacing static permissions with just-in-time (JIT) secure access. This means users get temporary, approved access only when they need it, which is a foundational part of a true zero trust security model that OIG's add-on module is not designed to handle.

Question 6

Is C1.ai built for a large enterprise or a fast-growing startup?

Accepted Answer

Both. The platform is designed for scalability. A startup can deploy C1.ai in weeks to build strong cybersecurity controls and pass compliance audits from day one. A large enterprise can manage millions of permissions to automate access control at scale, generate detailed audit trails, and reduce the burden on their security teams. Our pricing is transparent and scales with your needs, avoiding the massive upfront costs of legacy solutions.

C1.ai vs Okta Identity Governance

See how C1.ai compares to Okta Identity Governance

Top 5 reasons security leaders prefer C1.ai

Time to value

Full visibility and control

Simple, intuitive design

Committed to innovation

Real security impact

The business case for modern IGA

Strengthen your security posture

Move to zero standing privileges

Streamline regulatory compliance

Drive efficiency

Enable technical teams

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